Ukraine has returned 600 children deported by Russia

Ukraine has managed to return 600 children illegally taken by Russia, although more than 20,000 Ukrainians have been deported in total.

This was stated by Ambassador of Ukraine to the Netherlands Oleksandr Karasevych at the Roundtable on the Search for Missing Children from Ukraine, held by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).

"The scale of Russian crimes is enormous. The Russians claim to have deported 700,000 children from Ukraine to their territory. According to our data, about 20,000 children have been deported, and unfortunately, only 600 have returned home," he said.

Karasevych emphasized that after being deported to Russia, Ukrainian children change their citizenship and names and are given up for adoption to Russian families.

"This illegal removal of children and their russification is part of a genocidal policy against our people," he added.

He also announced the launch of the "Bring Kids Back UA" project, a comprehensive action plan on behalf of the Ukrainian President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This project unites the efforts of the authorities of Ukraine, other states, and international and non-governmental organizations to return all illegally deported Ukrainian children. Any country, organization, or individual can join this initiative.

The International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children has already been joined by 37 countries, most recently by Argentina. The roundtable in The Hague is part of a series of ICRC events in 2024 that will take place in Kyiv, Warsaw, and other capitals to discuss effective strategies for finding people who went missing during the war.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 20/06/2024